Horror Studies

Scope & Guideline

Charting the Evolution of Fear in Art and Society

Introduction

Immerse yourself in the scholarly insights of Horror Studies with our comprehensive guidelines detailing its aims and scope. This page is your resource for understanding the journal's thematic priorities. Stay abreast of trending topics currently drawing significant attention and explore declining topics for a full picture of evolving interests. Our selection of highly cited topics and recent high-impact papers is curated within these guidelines to enhance your research impact.
LanguageEnglish
ISSN2040-3275
PublisherINTELLECT LTD
Support Open AccessNo
CountryUnited Kingdom
TypeJournal
Convergefrom 2014 to 2024
AbbreviationHORROR STUD / Horror Stud.
Frequency2 issues/year
Time To First Decision-
Time To Acceptance-
Acceptance Rate-
Home Page-
AddressTHE MILL, PARNALL RD, BRISTOL BS16 3JG, ENGLAND

Aims and Scopes

Horror Studies aims to explore the multifaceted nature of horror in various cultural contexts, examining its representation, impact, and significance across mediums such as film, literature, and digital media. The journal welcomes interdisciplinary approaches and critical theories to advance the understanding of horror as a social and artistic phenomenon.
  1. Interdisciplinary Analysis of Horror:
    The journal encourages contributions that incorporate perspectives from various fields, including literature, film studies, cultural studies, gender studies, and sociology, to explore horror's complex narratives and themes.
  2. Cultural and Historical Contexts:
    Horror Studies emphasizes the importance of situating horror within its cultural and historical contexts, examining how societal issues, historical events, and cultural shifts inform horror narratives and their interpretations.
  3. Critical Approaches to Horror Media:
    The journal focuses on critical analyses of horror across different media, including film, literature, television, and digital platforms, investigating how these forms shape and reflect horror's evolution and societal implications.
  4. Thematic Exploration of Identity and Society:
    Horror Studies often addresses themes of identity, including gender, sexuality, race, and class, exploring how horror narratives challenge or reinforce societal norms and highlight marginalized voices.
  5. Innovative Methodologies:
    The journal is open to innovative methodologies, including psychoanalytic, phenomenological, and postcolonial approaches, that deepen the understanding of horror's psychological, emotional, and social effects.
Recent publications in Horror Studies reveal emerging themes that reflect current societal concerns, technological advancements, and evolving cultural narratives within the horror genre.
  1. Decolonization and Horror:
    There is a growing trend towards exploring horror's potential for decolonization, focusing on how horror narratives can challenge colonial legacies and provide new perspectives on identity and representation.
  2. Gender and Sexuality in Horror:
    Recent works increasingly examine the intersections of gender and sexuality within horror, particularly how these identities are represented and subverted in contemporary horror narratives.
  3. Digital and Technological Horror:
    The influence of digital media and technology on horror is a significant emerging theme, with analyses focusing on how video games, online horror communities, and digital storytelling reshape the experience and interpretation of horror.
  4. Environmental and Ecological Themes:
    Emerging studies are addressing the relationship between horror and environmental issues, exploring how horror narratives reflect anxieties about ecological collapse, climate change, and the Anthropocene.
  5. Psychosocial Dimensions of Horror:
    There is an increasing focus on the psychological and emotional dimensions of horror, particularly how horror reflects collective societal fears and anxieties in contemporary contexts.

Declining or Waning

While Horror Studies has seen a robust exploration of various themes, certain areas of focus appear to be waning in prominence, reflecting shifts in cultural relevance and scholarly interest.
  1. Traditional Gothic Tropes:
    There has been a noticeable decline in papers focusing solely on traditional Gothic elements, such as haunted houses and classic monsters, as the field increasingly embraces contemporary interpretations and socio-political themes.
  2. Sole Focus on Horror as Entertainment:
    The journal's earlier emphasis on horror purely as a form of entertainment has diminished, giving way to more critical and analytical approaches that interrogate horror's cultural significance and ethical implications.
  3. Static Gender Roles in Horror:
    Discussions around static or traditional gender roles within horror narratives are becoming less frequent, as the field moves towards more nuanced examinations of gender fluidity and intersectionality in horror.
  4. Analysis of Horror in Isolation:
    There is a decline in the analysis of horror outside of broader cultural contexts; recent publications tend to integrate horror with contemporary issues like politics, environmental concerns, and social movements, rather than treating it as a standalone genre.

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